On the official road from Jinzhou to Daliang City in Jizhou, an army was rushing towards this direction at a rapid speed.
When they were still three hundred miles away from Daliang City, this infantry force of 5,000 people left the official road and entered the dense forests on both sides of the road, and then came towards Daliang City in twos and threes.
Along the way, they did not wear the yellow military uniforms unique to the Jin army, but changed into common people's clothes. This approach allowed them to avoid the reconnaissance of the emperor's guards and Daqian army scouts.
...
Daliang City Ming Mansion.
Outside the door are two stone lions that are 10 feet tall and stand independently outside the door, making them look mighty and powerful.
Compared with the stone lions of ordinary people, these two stone lions seem to be much higher in size and clarity. Even the stone lions outside the palace are not much inferior. Here is the work. The residence of Minister Mingshan.
With a mountain to rely on and countless skilled craftsmen at hand, whether it is just to get a pair of stone lions of better quality, it is not a problem at all. Even other officials will not say anything when they see it. Even the Minister of Industry, Representing the highest official in charge of the country's craftsmen, it would be ridiculous if the stone lions outside the mansion were the same as ordinary people's homes.
In the house, Ming Shan was drinking with someone. As the two of them exchanged glasses, the atmosphere became very lively.
To be able to have Mingshan accompany him in person and to accompany him at the last table, it goes without saying that the identity of the visitor is not simple. He is Rui Butong, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, who is also one of the six ministers.
Anyone who is well-informed knows that Rui Butong and Mingshan are related to each other. Rui Butong's daughter Rui Ling married Ming Shitang of the Ming family. As parents, the relationship between the two families is very close.
Coincidentally, both Rui Butong and Mingshan belong to the neutral faction in the court. They are not close to any princes and only obey the orders of the current emperor. They are unique existences in the court.
Some people say that the two ministers are too noble in nature and do not want to cling to any prince.
Some people say that the two ministers know the way of being an official. If they hold Emperor Qianwen's thigh tightly and don't let go, they can ensure that his position is unshakable.
Others said that the two ministers just didn't think highly of the crown prince and Prince Xiang, and they were waiting for the other princes to grow up before making bets.
These are just some opinions. I am afraid that only the two ministers know the specific situation very clearly. They really look down on the prince and Prince Xiang and think that these two princes are just fighting for power. Many of them Sometimes they do whatever it takes to suppress their opponents. In fact, what they do does not make any contribution to the country and will only make the country worse with them.
Whether Rui Bu Tong or Ming Shan, he was an ambitious person when he was young. He also wanted to pour his blood into the Daqian Dynasty, and wanted to rely on his own efforts to make the country rich and powerful and the people's lives better. It's just that After more than ten years of official career, their passion has long gone. They have also learned to be wise and protective, and have learned the golden mean of Confucianism.
The blood gradually cooled, and the person began to gain weight. The once warm blood was replaced by the official hat of a minister. In front of the person, he smiled like a brothel girl, but behind him, he would sigh from time to time, showing that he was dissatisfied with some people. The disappointment of peace.
"Brother Ming, I think about how high-spirited we were when we first followed His Majesty. We just thought that following His Majesty would empower me to do great things and bring congratulations from all over the world. But now..." He shook his head and took a sip of wine. After pouring it into my mouth, the spicy taste went down my throat.
Seeing Rui Butong drinking so ferociously, Mingshan quickly stretched out his hand to press down the arm he wanted to raise, and forcefully took out the wine cup from his fingers, "Brother Rui, these are the heroes of Guochang Long, those young ones." All good men can get drunk, but our bodies today need to be in moderation."
Being robbed of the wine glass, Rui Butong looked a little unhappy. However, considering that he was also doing it for his own health, he could only sigh and said: "It's boring. I have to control my drinking now. It's not like I did when I was young. Raising a glass Looking up at the moon, it's such a joy."
"Okay, okay, let's not talk about the bravery of a good man. By the way, Brother Rui, what's wrong with you today? There haven't been any problems in the Ministry of Finance recently. The emperor just agreed to open the Daqian Bank. From now on, your Ministry of Finance You have money. As a minister, you should be happy. Why do you seem to have so many worries? Huh? I said Brother Rui, are you afraid that your brother will ask your household department for money? Let me tell you, wait for the household to have money. Now that the Ministry has money, we really need to support the Ministry of Industry more. Don’t you know how you can create good things without enough money?”
Mingshan chuckled and gave Rui Butong a vaccination in advance.
Then again, Mingshan was still in a good mood. Lord Zhongguo Shen Ao found the Ministry of Industry and sent a big order, requesting to build some kitchen cabinets with gold nuggets. The quality requirements were extremely strict, but very The money is really abundant, and by taking this business, the Ministry of Industry will be able to make a huge profit.
Although the money was withdrawn from Guochanglong, part of it was the profit originally due to the emperor and was given to the Ministry of Industry. This is equivalent to taking the money out of the left pocket and putting it back into the right pocket. , but no matter what, this can be regarded as the performance of the Ministry of Works. When the accounts are reported at the end of the year, the face of the Ministry of Works will look much better.
Therefore, Mingshan, who is the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, is in a good mood, and he also knows about the Daqian Bank. It is said that he, the Ministry of Industry, has benefited, and as the real beneficiary, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Rui Butong, should be even more happy. It was unexpected that after leaving the yamen, he would come to his house and shout that he wanted to drink, which made him full of confusion.
Although I don’t know the reason, since old friends and relatives are here, I have to control the alcohol, as long as I don’t drink too much and hurt my body. I never expected that Rui Butong now looks like he wants to drink a lot and get drunk. Take a break.
Tomorrow is the day of the small court. As a minister with such an important position as the Six Ministers, no matter what is important, he must go to court. He didn't want his family to make a fool of himself, so Mingshan stopped him. But he was more curious, why the situation seemed so good, Rui Butong doesn't look too happy again?
When others asked this question, Rui Butong would not say anything. Even if he drank a little too much, he still had a bottom line in his heart and knew what should be said and what should not be said. But when his relatives asked him, he had nothing to hide. , slowly opened his mouth, "What do you know? The situation in the Ministry of Finance is about to improve. Of course, this is something that we should be happy about. But because of this, some people will be watching, and we don't know which prince will do it. If you put your hand in, wouldn't the good situation be ruined? Do you think so, the Minister of Household Affairs, can still show the prince's face? When the time comes, it will be so and so, and the benefits will belong to others. You Do you think this job is easy to do or not?"
That is to say, in front of Ming Shan, Rui Butong could speak so bluntly. He could honestly say whatever he thought in his heart.
"Well..." Mingshan wanted to give some advice to make his relatives less pessimistic, but after much deliberation, he shook his head and said, "Yes. If this is really the case, someone will definitely come to help you. The minister is about to be in trouble."
Rui Butong originally came to his old friend for comfort, but he didn't expect that his old friend actually held the same view. For a moment, he didn't know what to say, but he just picked up another glass of wine in his hand.
This time, Mingshan did not stop him, but also picked up a glass of wine. The two glasses collided with each other in mid-air in the next breath.
"Come on, let's get drunk today, but what will happen to him tomorrow? Hey, I really don't know when Dagan will have a wise prince who can lead Dagan to prosperity." Mingshan raised his glass and expressed his thoughts. Said like.
After hearing this, Rui Butong just shook his head and smiled bitterly. Then he tilted the wine cup and poured the hero into it. Feeling the spicy taste, he also shook his head. Obviously, he had given up on this possibility.
...
The two princes, whom the minister was not optimistic about, had already entered the palace and came to the mother-in-law of Yaohua Palace.
Concubine Li Huang has been in a bad mood recently. I don’t know how many palace maids and eunuchs have aroused her anger because of their poor service. They were beaten to death and thrown into the pool in the backyard because of trivial matters.
She originally thought that after becoming a country, she would be the master of the harem. Even if the emperor is gone and the prince succeeds, she can still be her empress dowager and enjoy the treatment respected by thousands of people. Who would have thought that, The King of Jin actually proposed that while he wanted to transfer the military power of the Jin army, the emperor also had to hand over the military power of the Silver Armor Guards to the crown prince?
The prince got into trouble and stopped expressing his position for a while, which made her, as a mother, want to become a queen.
Originally, many concubines from the harem had come to congratulate her, and some of their gifts had been accepted by him. Now that the queen couldn't do it, how could she have the face to see everyone? How could she gain a foothold in the harem?
The more she thought about it, the more angry she became. All those who served her were punished, ranging from being beaten to being executed. When the prince came to Yaohua Palace, all he saw was a scene of palace maids and eunuchs. Looks cautious.
The prince has long known the temperament of his mother and concubine, and has become accustomed to it. She is just a slave. If she dies, she will die. It doesn’t matter. The prince raised his head and raised his chest without even looking at the servants. At this time, in his mind There is only the task in mind.
In the main room, the prince finally saw his mother and concubine. Perhaps she was in a bad mood, but Concubine Li didn't look too good even when she saw the prince, "Xin'er is here."
After saying hello in a very calm tone, Concubine Li Huang closed her eyes again. She was sitting on the chair as if she didn't even want to talk to the prince.